You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!

If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.

If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

scared!! is a skin biopsy done only to look for lupus ? please help

hi all

im in turmoil here , for the last 4 months I have had a skin rash itching burning stinging, spreading all over parts of my body.
I went to see my dermatologist who first said it was intertrigo , he gave me creams which didn't work , then I went back and because I have rabbits for years he done a RAST test it came back positive grade2. but he said still no need to remove rabbits as it was only a low grade , by this time my head has been going round and round I researched everything and thought I got everything ,, then the dermatologist sent me for a skin biopsy , and I still don't know what he is looking for
does anyone know what they test for in a skin biopsy ...its been 3 weeks now and I have no results ,, the only results I have are
ANA=weakly pos
dsDNA and ENA negative
white /red blood cells negative
liver/kidney normal

I was told if the dsDNA and ENA are negative then that rules out lupus???

I hope someone can shed some light on what they do in a biopsy and what they are looking for

You have a weak positive ANA which could indicate the possible presence of several issues. Skin biopsies are taken for a plethora of reasons and there is no way that we can know exactly what your doctor is looking for. However, with reference to Auto immune diseases - a skin biopsy is used because certain auto-immune conditions can be detected and diagnosed by a skin punch biopsy. Yes, Lupus is one of those diseases but it is not the only auto-immune issue that can be detected in this manner. The skin biopsy is also used to diagnose inflammatory skin disorders, such as dermatomyositis, psoriasis, and, again, Lupus, etc. After the biopsy, the specimen is sent to a pathology lab and examined for any abnormal changes. If the biopsy reveals the presence of an auto-immune or inflammatory disorder, your doctors will probably start appropriate treatment and therapy. I wish you the very best and please come back and let us know what the biopsy indicated. Try not to stress yourself unduly about this because, if there is an auto-immune condition happening within you, stress will only worsen the symptoms of this condition. Hopefully, your answers will be ones that provide you with many options. Peace and Blessings - Namaste: SAYSUSIE

lots of people have skin biopsy's ... the doctor could be trying to find something in the biopsy, or use it to grow a culture. there is many, many reasons. please do not worry about what it might be. I know that is easy to say ..... we all worry when we don't know. but biopsy's are very common to help doctors find out what is happening.